Ethel the Frog

Who’d believe this? A band with the same musical diversity and headbanging joy as the Beatles? Hell, they even open the album with a cover of one of Beatles more well known songs, singing in harmonies and adding Iron Maiden-esque guitars and breaks to it! Could it be any better!? Well, yes… Coming to that, Eleanor Rigby is a simple but decent song. Ruining the original, but well… The rest of the album isn’t quite as complex or nowhere as good as this FUCKING BEATLES COVER!!

The album sounds just as if it could’ve been done in Fruity Loops! Same drum pace for every song, guitars that are a combination of Saxon and well, Beatles. Bottom-line – not very much happens and when it happens it happens for several minutes and is then played all over again. There’s some room for the bassist to experiment though, so he tries some random string picking in song no. 9. Saxon used to have songs that never progressed that just beat on and on. Ethel the Frog even lacks the beat. It’s uninspired shit that doesn’t deserve the short, but way too effective record deal they had or even the NWOBHM label.

Another thing that Saxon had which Ethel the Frog didn’t have was a voice. After dropping the harmonies in the first song he just turns into a Paul McCartney wannabe without any power or class at all. And god isn’t he annoying when he sings “A Firebir-ir-ird” in that filthy British way? Unless you are sickly in love with the idea of laughing at unworthy Brits you should stay clear of this band.